1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-forming device that easily eliminates obstructions along a conveying path of a recording medium.
2. Related Art
Image-forming devices such as printers, facsimile machines, copy machines, or multifunction devices combining the functions of these machines are well known in the art. In one type of image-forming device, an image-forming unit charges a photosensitive member and subsequently exposes the photosensitive member to light from a laser, LED, or the like to form electrostatic latent images thereon. The electrostatic latent image is developed using toner or other type of developer. The developed image is then transferred onto a recording medium and is fixed on the recording medium by heat generated in a fixing unit, thereby forming an image on the recording medium. In this type of image-forming device, a conveying path is formed from a point that a recording medium is fed into a casing to a point that the recording medium is discharged from the casing after passing through an image-forming unit, enabling the recording medium to be conveyed through the casing without becoming jammed.
When paper becomes jammed on the conveying path, a process is performed to remove the jammed paper from the path. In a large image-forming device, maintenance hatches may be provided at a plurality of locations on the outer walls of the casing, since there are many options for arranging the components in the casing of the large image-forming device. Accordingly, a user can reach and easily remove jammed paper by opening the appropriate hatch. However, it is more difficult to provide a plurality of maintenance hatches on a small image-forming device, such as that described in Japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2002-104694. For this reason, a portion of the conveying path is configured of an accommodating area that accommodates a removable process unit (process cartridge), which functions to form images. With this construction, the user can access the conveying path to resolve a paper jam by first removing the process unit from the casing.
Components of the image-forming device described in Japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2002-104694 are arranged three-dimensionally in the casing of the image-forming device to achieve a compact design. A paper tray (paper supply cassette) is disposed in the bottom section of the casing. Paper picked up from the paper tray by a feeding roller is conveyed by conveying rollers working in association with the feeding roller along a U-shaped conveying path for guiding the paper onto a path within the process unit. If a paper jam occurs on the U-shaped conveying path, the user resolves the paper jam by removing the process unit from the accommodating area and pulling the jammed paper from the end of the U-shaped conveying path exposed in the accommodating area.